The present invention relates to a front lower structure of an automobile comprising a drive unit mounting room arranged in the front portion of the vehicle body and under covers arranged under the drive unit mounting room.
An automobile is known, in which the lower portion of the drive unit mounting room of the front portion of the vehicle body is enclosed by under covers in order to improve the aerodynamic characteristics of the lower portion of the vehicle body and to prevent the intrusion of a splash into the drive unit mounting room, and in which the underfloor airflow from the front part under the engine room is rectified by the under covers for improved aerodynamic characteristics (for example, in Japanese Utility model Application Laid Open No. 4-129383, Japanese Utility model Application Laid Open No. 60-23423, Japanese Utility model Application Laid Open No. 63-16296 and Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 4-15124).
In recent years, however, the calorific amount of the engine tends to increase due to the measure taken to increase the output and to decrease the exhaust gas. Also, there is a demand for a lower target cooling water temperature of the radiator to improve the engine cooling performance. These facts make it more necessary to improve the exhaustion of the hot air from the engine room, which in turn requires a higher output of the cooling fan for a decreased cost effectiveness.